Catfish, Crystal eyed

Hemibagrus Wyckii or the Crystal Eyed Catfish is a member of the Bagridae – Bagrid catfishes family and is distributed throughout Asia from Thailand to Indonesia.  The Crystal Eyed Catfish is an aggressive freshwater predatory species which is found in the middle reaches of large rivers throughout Asia.
This carnivorous catfish species inhabits large rivers with fast flowing water and muddy substrates feeding on a diverse diet of small fish, prawns and insects.  The whiskered Crystal Eyed Catfish actively seeks out its prey items with the aid of long probing whiskers (maxillary barbels) located at the side of its mouth.
These highly sensitive barbels are packed with sensory receptors which allow the Crystal Eyed Catfish to search for prey fish and other food items amongst debris and rocks on the riverbed.
The predatory Crystal Eyed Catfish has a highly depressed and broad head with a wide gaping mouth and displays a black to dark blue colouration throughout its muscular flanks.
The fish’s coracoidal region has a pale cream to white colouration with black coloured fins accentuated by white/grey markings.
The Crystal Eyed Catfish is rarely caught by anglers and is an extremely rare and welcome catch for anglers fishing in Thailand.
This species of catfish can be caught on a variety of conventional fishing techniques such as lure fishing and bait fishing with live or dead fish baits.
The Crystal Eyed Catfish is an extremely satisfying monster fish species to catch and can be caught from some of the wildest and most remote rivers in Thailand in addition to being stocked into a small number of commercial fishing lakes and ponds in Thailand.